Clouds and Moonlight
by half.hakujin
Summary: Companion to Sand in the Hourglass..collection of oneshots, GaaraxOC
1. Kankurou's Advice

Hopefully this will be a collection of oneshots, right now…not so much. I decided to have a (slightly) funny first one, but they'll be all genres.

Disclaimer: These are getting old. Naruto's not mine, it never has been, and it never will be. And other randomness that you recognize - if it's recognizable, it is not mine.

1; Kankurou's Advice

It had been a month since Akatsuki had been driven from Sunagakure, and a month since Gaara had dared to kiss Kimiko. Now they seemed to be stuck in a rut - if they had ever moved forward at all.

But she was moving forward. She was letting go of her iron grip on her feelings. She smiled a lot more, laughed, cried, got angry, got embarrassed. She was moving forward. What if she felt differently about him now? What if she regretted that kiss, that night?

After that fateful night, all of Suna had risen up to defend their village, and still both the Kazekage and many of his jounin, including Kimiko, had ended up unconscious in the hospital. There wasn't really much time to discuss the sudden act of emotion that had happened. And Gaara recovered first, so he was thrown headfirst into the accumulation of paperwork, etc. and had no time to talk when Kimiko was released from the hospital.

Now, when he called her for missions, there was awkward embarrassment as they tiptoed around the elephant in the room. This did not go unnoticed by Temari or Kankurou. They knew their little brother, and they knew this was beyond freaky behaviour for him.

After a short conversation, Temari convinced Kankurou to help Gaara with his girl problem. Unfortunately, she forgot to tell him what to say, and the middle Sand Sibling came up with some ideas of his own. As anyone who understood the way Kankurou's brain worked, Temari immediately started to panic. But it was too late. He had already emerged from the Kazekage's office, looking smug.

She peeked past the door, and saw Gaara with a puzzled, disturbed look on his face. _Oh, great_, she thought.

…

Eleven o'clock. Would she still be up? Gaara watched the clouds slide past the moon and reflected on what Kankurou had advised him to do.

"_Listen up, little bro," Kankurou said as he entered the office. "Temari and I have noticed the way you act when a certain someone is around, and we gotta tell you. It's obvious you like her. Does she know?"_

_His brother was the last person Gaara wanted to talk to about his relationship with Kimiko…well, not really, since he was the only person Gaara ever talked to about semi-personal things._

"_We've kissed once," he said uncomfortably. His brother nodded, impressed._

"_Geez, you move fast, huh?" He laughed, then took a serious expression. "But you gotta take it to the next level, or you'll be floating in that awkward stage you're in now forever. So here's what you NEED to do…"_

Gaara had a feeling he was going to regret this. He walked, unsure, up to the apartment building where he knew Kimiko lived. Kankurou had said to throw a rock at her window. Looking around, he saw a decorative boulder in someone's veranda garden. Using his sand, he lifted it to the height of her window, and heaved it.

_**CRASH**_

"Oops."

"_Girls love the romantic crap. Roses, chocolate, and most of all, a moonlight serenade." Gaara could barely believe his ears. He was supposed to… "A poem. A song. Do both, if you want. Knock her off her feet, little bro."_

_Kankurou winked and walked out. Gaara resisted the urge to slap himself and shake these disturbing thoughts from his head. Was this what he _really_ needed to do?_

"Gaara-sama? What are you doing here?" Damn, she was already at the window. He should apologize for breaking her window. No! He was supposed to read a poem…But he hadn't brought one.

"Umm…" Crap. He frantically probed his memories. "Er, Rapunzel, Rapunzel…" He stopped and again resisted the urge to slap himself. A song! That was the way. He didn't know any of those either. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star…How I wonder…"

He risked a glance at her. Her face was twisted in confusion and worry, laughter sparkling in her eyes. He cleared his throat and tried not to notice he was blushing. She hid her smile behind one hand.

"Gaara, it's late. We can talk tomorrow," she said softly, still grinning. She thought he was an idiot. Great. He had no chance now. But she was basically telling him to get lost, so he left.

…

The next morning, Gaara stood on a balcony outside his bedroom. He didn't know what to do. Why had he listened to Kankurou? This time, he conceded to slap himself, the sand blocking his way.

"That's new, too," a familiar voice commented. Gaara looked up. Kimiko was sitting on the roof, smiling. He'd forgotten she was so silent when she moved. "You've been a bundle of surprises lately."

Not blushing, not blushing. Never.

"I'm sorry about your window," he muttered, staring at a spot over her left shoulder. She hopped down to his level. "I'm sorry about everything I did last night."

"Why?" she laughed. "It made me smile. It was kind of…" Stupid? Disturbing? Weird? Nauseating? Embarrassing? "…kawai." Did he hear right? She thought he was cute?

"We should eat out sometime," she continued, giving him a small peck on the cheek before disappearing as swiftly and silently as she'd arrived.

And a tentative smile broke across the stony expression held by the young Kazekage. He touched his cheek, hardly believing what had happened. She wanted to eat sometime. She was still interested.

…Ah, Kankurou was wise, wise beyond his years. Well, this Kazekage knew who was getting that week of break he'd been asking for.


	2. Temari's Advice

For those of you who will wonder…Gaara's birthday is on January 19…Yes, I know these things…but only about Gaara.

Disclaimer: Not mine…yet…

2; Temari's Advice

Kimiko chanced a look at the calendar. She groaned. It was January, and still, she'd seen no snow.

"Well, what did you expect?" she grumbled to herself. "It's the godforsaken desert, after all." But God, she missed snow. Probably the only thing she missed about Kumogakure…except her house and her photos.

Then she glanced at the calendar again. Craptastic. Gaara's birthday was in a week, and she didn't even have a present ready. She wondered if anyone had given him a present before, or even said "Happy Birthday." Maybe his siblings. Maybe not.

And what did you get the guy that had nothing, and wanted nothing too? Last Christmas she had been on a mission for a week and in the hospital for a week after. She already owed him a gift…so this one had to be amazing.

"Temari-chan, can you help me with something?" Gaara's elder sister looked up from the scroll she was writing on. Kimiko was always shy around people, and how was she supposed to phrase this without it sounding like she was being girlfriend-y?

After all, they'd only been on one date, and kissed twice. He hadn't said anything, and she sure as hell wasn't going to bring that up. But she wouldn't mind knowing he wanted to make a commitment to her.

"Sure, what do you need?" Temari's voice brought her back to reality.

"Well, Gaara's birthday is coming up…and I wondered if you might…I mean, if you know what…Does he…Can you help me pick out a present?" Well, that was a struggle. Blushing, Kimiko felt two inches tall. But Temari was smiling.

"If it's shopping you want, shopping you'll get. Just let me finish this letter to Shi- I mean, this letter…" Now the blonde kunoichi was the one blushing.

That was right! Kimiko almost forgot she was in a steady relationship…with that guy from Konoha. She'd met him once, and frankly could not see the appeal. But then again, some people couldn't see the appeal in a reformed murderer like Gaara…except every teenage girl in Suna.

…

"Now, what you have to remember is that Gaara wants for nothing. If you can't find something spectacular, don't get him anything at all. Since me and Kankurou are his siblings, not to mention his elders, we can get him anything and he won't complain. Don't get me wrong, he won't complain about anyone's gift, least of all yours, but you want to know he's really, _really_ happy. Right?" Kimiko nodded vigorously. Temari continued.

"You would be safe getting him a book of some sort, but if you want to blow him out of the water, get him something unique, off the beaten track…like him. Good luck!" And she was gone. What a help she was. But after all, she had a boyfriend to write to.

Three hours later, she had bought…lunch.

"This is impossible," she moaned, and subconsciously turned down a narrow alley filled with vendors. Dusk was falling and she could barely see the merchandise in the shadows. In one vendor she saw a hunchbacked old lady (A/N: creative, I know) who beckoned with one spotted finger.

"I know what you search for," she wheezed in her rusty voice.

"Oh, I doubt it," Kimiko replied dryly. The old woman laughed hoarsely and reached up to a shelf in her little stand.

"You want something unique for the boy who became a man too quickly," she insisted…and she was right. Kimiko often thought Gaara missed out on childhood, even more so than her. "I have the very thing…" She produced…the perfect gift. Kimiko was astounded. She stared at it for far too long.

"Can you keep a secret?" the old lady whispered, leaning in. Kimiko leaned in a bit too, though she was honestly disgusted by the old woman's yellow grin and scarred visage, especially with the moonlight creating furrows in her complexion. "This is the…"

…

"Happy Birthday, Gaara-sama," Kimiko said. She had missed him at the office, and was called away before his meeting ended. Now, with the sun low in the sky, she finally met him leaving the Kazekage mansion.

"Is it my birthday?" he replied slowly, looking at the sky with fatigue etched in his face. Kimiko rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so dramatic. Here, I got you something," and she shoved the present at him, wrapped as neatly as possible (which, for her, wasn't very neat). Startled, he took the box and slid the ribbon off, then removed the lid…

His face was priceless. He was in complete, speechless shock. He pulled out the gift…a teddy bear.

And not just any teddy bear, oh no.

"_Can you keep a secret? … This is the very same bear your beloved Kazekage had as a child. He cast it off after his uncle's tragic death…but who knows, he may want it again."_

Gaara held up the bear, eyes wide and mouth almost agape…except he would never allow his mouth to hang so uncouthly.

"Thank you. I - thanks." Kimiko smiled. That was just the kind of reaction she'd hoped for.

O.o

Whose advice was better? ;)


	3. Our Anniversary

If anyone is wondering, the title is just randomness…and now I need to put clouds or moonlight in every chapter. And if anyone is wondering, this entire chapter is just randomness. Yay for temporary loss of sanity! ... In my case, permanent loss.

Disclaimer: Let me think…uh, no, nope, nuh-uh, no.

3; Our Anniversary

"Kimiko-chan, I am so proud of you." Confused, the brunette looked up at the grinning blonde standing over her.

"Um, what for, Temari-sempai?" The younger girl racked her brain for any possible reason she should be deserving of congratulation.

"Hasn't it been three months? You know, since you slapped some sense into my little brother." Still Kimiko sat with a blank look on her face. "It's your three-month anniversary with Gaara! Well, tomorrow is."

"So?" Three months. She counted backwards. Three months ago she'd kissed him. The next month was pretty shaky, then they'd kind of reunited…three weeks later she gave him his birthday present and they started going out more. Yeah, three months.

"So, you poor clueless girl, three months is like a big deal in a relationship. I bet he's planning something special for tomorrow night. Then again, it is Gaara…" Temari stopped and thought, then shook her head. "He's probably as clueless as you. Good luck with that!"

Temari had a habit of talking a lot, then disappearing. Kimiko scratched her head and wondered if this really was important. If it was, she should do something. Then again, it was kind of late.

She walked to the Kazekage's office, unusual for her, since she was impatient and impossibly fast, a bad combination. Today she took her time. Kankurou was just leaving the office, and grinned at her as she knocked on the door.

Uh oh…The last time he'd put on that face, he had told Gaara to serenade her. What other bad ideas did he have for their anniversary?

"Come in," Gaara said distantly. She tried to think of what to say. What was there to say?

"_Hey, your sister told me we have to do something romantic, so it's your responsibility now."_

Or…

"_Did you know it's our three month anniversary?"_

"_No."_

Or…

"_Do you want to do something tomorrow night?"_

"_Can't, you have a twenty-four hour mission, starting now."_

"Kimiko-chan," his voice always brought her attention to his face, his piercing eyes. "I wanted to talk to you. Let's have dinner tomorrow night." He never asked her, it was like a command…one that she would gladly obey.

"Um, yeah…sure." Smooth. At least he wanted to do something. It was more than she had hoped for.

"I'll pick you up at 6." Feeling dismissed, she left through the window, as was her habit, and settled on the rooftop, wondering whether he had a surprise planned and torturing herself as she did so, the suspense deadly.

_Kimiko's List of Possible Surprises from Gaara_

_1. A gift. Like a break from never-ending missions. Or roses…I hope not._

_2. A kiss in public. (We've only ever kissed when no one is watching…a kiss is private!) If he does, it's like saying 'You're officially my girlfriend now.' Yikes, commitment._

_3. Dinner at some fancy restaurant. I don't have anything to wear!_

_4. Sex. Gasp._

_5. Marriage._

_6. Bringing my parents back from the dead._

_7. A one-eyed, one-horned flying purple people eater._

Why did she torture herself so? She didn't sleep that night, and instead of visiting Gaara, who hardly slept either, she stayed in her room, lonely and miserable.

The next morning, her eyes were bloodshot, bagged and blinky when facing light. She almost left her room, but instead she stayed in all day getting ready for that night. He hadn't said to dress fancy…but he didn't really care about those kinds of things, and it had probably slipped his mind.

If they were going somewhere nice. If they were doing anything at all. Grrr…

Ah, the dilemma of semi-formal dress. What could she possibly wear? What was formal, and therefore _too_ formal? What was semi, and therefore too casual? It took her every second of the day to decide what to wear…

When Gaara arrived, he didn't look too fancy either. But he never did. She was overanalysing. Why couldn't her mind just shut up?!?!

Dinner was completely normal. Of course she did most of the talking, as always, but she couldn't work up the courage to say anything about their supposed anniversary. He walked her home, and after a kiss goodbye, he turned to leave.

"Is that it?" she called after him. She just couldn't take it anymore. "No surprises?" If she didn't ask then, she wouldn't sleep, thinking he might burst in with some romantic endeavour.

"Why would there be?" he replied coolly. Damnit, did he even know?

"It's our three-month anniversary!" she exploded, not really yelling but not at her regular volume either. Gaara looked back at her, and if he had eyebrows, Kimiko knew one would be up in puzzlement.

"So?" he answered, and the weight of her own stupidity hit her. That had been her own reply to Temari. She could hear herself saying it…she was much saner then. How she missed her sanity. "I didn't think you cared about those things."

And she'd thought he cared. Which was utterly foolish of her, considering he was Sabaku no Gaara.

"I don't," she whispered, relieved, then louder. "I don't. I don't care at all." Gaara walked back to her, his eyes unreadable and blank. Then he tilted her chin up and kissed her. Kimiko entwined her fingers with his, loving the feel of his warm, gentle touch. With her other hand she reached up to take his neck, but he pulled away and left. Without even a word.

God, he was frustratingly wonderful.

"Happy Anniversary," his voice sounded from the darkness of the night. The clouds slid from the moon, lighting a scene that was not, perhaps, the most romantic anniversary she could imagine; it was unique, and it was perfect.

O.o

Review or I will be very sad T-T


	4. A Different Kind of Anniversary

And each chapter stranger than the last...

Disclaimer: In my dreams…last night I dreamt about jumping off a moving roller coaster!! XD

4; A Different Kind of Anniversary

There was a certain time of year when Kimiko just felt so empty, she didn't know what to do to feel like maybe she was more than nothing. It took about five weeks for it to go away, and it started today.

Walking like a ghost among the living, she stumbled through a crowded marketplace and looked for something to do. She used to request a mission from the Raikage where she could kill mercilessly, but she would never ask that of Gaara. The blood did make her feel better, though.

Blinking, she realized she'd reached the outer gates of Suna, and she absentmindedly waved at the jounin she knew. Staring off into the distance, sands stretching out like an arid sea of death before her, Kimiko felt the comfort of that deadly environment. She wandered out, following the sunset that stung her eyes.

"Hey! Where are you going?" The jounin were yelling at her, but she didn't want to hear them. She knew they would come, escort her back to the village. Already the thought of being trapped in that city - of unfamiliar faces and faces that looked right through hers - made her feel claustrophobic. Her breathing was short.

So she ran. She ran for longer than she'd ever run before, and her lungs were on fire and her legs screamed and her breathing was still short, but she didn't stop to take a breath.

She wanted to feel that pain fill her emptiness.

…

Gaara listened to his baffled guards explain Kimiko's absurd behaviour. She was practically his girlfriend, but he couldn't handle this personally or people would think he was favouring her. And then, of course, people would know she was practically his girlfriend.

"Send…" he thought carefully. "…Kankurou." His older brother was one of the very few people Kimiko knew, so she was less likely to run away from him. And if things turned ugly, he could use chakra strings to bring her back. It was true she was better friends with Temari, but his sister wouldn't be so gentle if things turned ugly.

The guards bowed stiffly and left. Gaara turned to face the windows, wondering if he could see her off in the desert in this moonlight.

_What's wrong with you?_

…

Kankurou had a friend send his nindog to sniff out the missing kunoichi. He was worried, though he wouldn't admit it. He knew Kimiko had nowhere to go, so why did she run away? Was someone controlling her actions?

"He's found her scent!" his friend (who shall remain unnamed) shouted suddenly. The dog took off running, kicking up sand behind him. The two shinobi chased the canine over a few sand dunes until a form was seen in the distance.

"Stop!" Kankurou hissed, and motioned for his friend to vamoose. Kimiko didn't need to be surrounded or ambushed, she'd only panic.

He walked slowly toward her, letting her sense his presence before he said anything. Then the shifting sands scattered in the wind, revealing a figure flung over the ground. She wasn't moving.

"Oh, crap," the jounin whispered, and ran to check the girl's pulse. She was completely knocked out. "What did you do?" he asked the unconscious kunoichi, not expecting an answer.

…

When she opened her eyes, she saw two pools of aquamarine staring back at her. She turned her head slightly and saw she was in the stupid hospital again. The walls were closing in. She started hyperventilating.

"Stop it," Gaara said sharply, and for some reason, she did. She closed her eyes and thought of the desert again, when she was out there running and there weren't any walls at all. "What the hell were you doing?"

"I felt empty…I needed to do something." This was true, but it wasn't the whole truth, and Gaara could tell. He always did. She could feel him scowling, but she kept her eyes closed.

"Why now?" He might've been asking 'Aren't I enough for you?' He was. But not now, that wasn't what she needed. She might as well tell him why…

"It's…It's the…anniversary."

"Didn't we already have an anniversary?" Gaara replied, puzzled. Kimiko ran her fingers through her hair and opened her eyes. She was calm enough.

"Not that kind of anniversary," she quietly responded. "My father's death was on the fifth of February, my mother's - one month after. I always get…restless and I feel so…" she searched for a word that wasn't synonymous with bloodthirsty, "…horrible."

"It's the seventh," Gaara commented. Kimiko sighed. Thirty-three days left. "If you ever feel restless, just come see me. We'll get through this together." Startled by his suddenly gentle tones, she glanced at him, but his face was emotionless as always, with beautiful eyes blank.

Maybe if he supported her…she could find another way to survive this month.

…

Licking her lips, she dug the kunai into her own finger, forming a ring around the tip of her thumb. The pain was so blissfully satisfying, it made her feel substantial. Grimacing as she laughed insanely, she brought her thumb to her mouth and licked the wound. Then she realized someone was watching.

"Ahem," Gaara scowled, disappointed. She wiped her mouth and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

O.o

You know I can't resist throwing in some emo when the opportunity arises. ;) Review please!!


	5. Ghosts of My Past

Okie dokie, this is the last chapter, and a VERY short one…

Notes: This chapter was based on a poem I wrote, which I included at the end.

Disclaimer: half.hakujin no own Naruto. half.hakujin wish she did. WOW I'm weird right now.

5; Ghosts of my Past

_He knew it was a dream, but how did he wake up? He was wandering through mists and screams reverberated in the fragile air. When he finally reached the source of the noise, it was the people he'd killed mercilessly before he'd turned over a new leaf in the Hidden Leaf._

_Guilt was almost the worst feeling there was. But wasn't that why he'd cast off emotion?_

Gaara woke (**not** in a sweat, as so many love to write) and realized he had just slept a full night. The only time he did that was when he was too tired to be wary of sleep. It was too strange - the person was there physically, but their mind was shut off. Like being dead.

Sighing, he rose and faced another day of paperwork and 'worrying' about the shinobi he'd sent on missions. It wasn't until he sat watching the moon with Kimiko that he spoke of his dream - his nightmare.

"…" She seemed to be trying to think of what to say. "Last night I dreamt that a cloud was eating me." Gaara blinked. Not exactly what he'd expected.

"What does it mean?" he wondered aloud. "Why does it come now?"

"Gaara, it doesn't mean anything. And besides, you can't change it. It's in the past. All you can do is know that you'll never kill anyone unnecessarily again." He hoped, at least.

The young Kazekage thought of the ones he'd murdered, the ones he remembered from a seemingly never-ending line of corpses. Didn't they have a life worth living? He thought of his mother, and the pain of losing her. Did his victims not have mothers; family and friends to mourn their loss? Was he trying to justify murder because he harboured a demon?

He wore himself out thinking that night, and decided to sleep briefly, hoping the dream wouldn't return.

_He stumbled along the edge of a cliff, his footsteps unsure and hazardous along a path of death. He stumbled, and tried to right himself, but there were arms, long pale things that clamped on and dragged him down._

_He looked and saw milky, blank eyes in a skeletal sea of rotted bodies, skin gray and blood-splattered. He knew these were the ghosts of his past, and he recoiled in disgust and fear from their claw-like fingers that tore at him, their angry eyes that stabbed like twin daggers, their decomposing carcasses that piled up in the gorge. There was no way he'd killed so many…right?_

When he jerked awake, Gaara jumped up, feeling as though tiny parasites crawled over him. He realized Kimiko was still there, asleep beside him. Had she seen his hands shake, or his brow furrow?

Now she opened her eyes, slowly, lifting them to his face. He saw the concern and question in her eyes; she knew. He helped her up, and didn't speak of his nightmare. She shouldn't have seen his weakness. He was the Kazekage, damnit!

"Was it worse?" she inquired quietly. Gaara slowly nodded; shamed that he would be reduced to this, a quivering child after a bad dream, seeking comfort from one who offered no answer to his guilt.

Then she did something very odd - she put her arms around him and laid her head on his chest, as though she needed support. He obliged to hold her for a short period of time, then uncomfortable, he pulled away.

How was it that such a simple act could make him feel better?

…

Whispers haunt me

Falling on me

I feel their cold fingers

Try to stop me

Silent as snow

Footsteps in snow

Following me back home

Won't let me go

Black as night sky

No stars tonight

What if they find me now

Never to fly

My breath in clouds

And heartbeat loud

I have to get away

Escape the crowd

I'm running fast

One breath won't last

They won't leave me alone

Ghosts of my past

O.o . o.O . O.o . o.O

Please review!


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